Page 21 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas
Floating in a cosmic Wonderland.
From “Floating in a Cosmic Wonderland”
A Christmas Carol for Non-Earthlings by Sadie Malone
Xane had endured a very strange day, and the night had been even stranger.
He’d woken up in the desert earlier, hours after collapsing from thecastrextract. A listing tent of blankets and sticks had been erected over his prone body, presumably to protect him from the elements. It was so utterly ridiculous that, for a moment, all he’d been able to do was blink up at it in confusion. Why would anyone build such a bizarre thing? And who would put a pillow beneath his head? Xane had never slept with a pillow in his life. Especially not one that smelled like spiced honey and warm woman.
He didn’t even know any women…
At that point, memories rushed back. Gray eyes, perfect lips, and rampant insanity.
Xane had sat bolt upright, looking around for Sadie Mal-Own. He’d sensed almost instantly that she wasn’t there. It was like he could feel her absence in the air. He’d seen no indications that anyone had stolen her, which meant she’d probably left on her own. That caused a flood of dread, as he’d imagined all the places she could be and all the disasters she could be causing.
Two seconds later, he’d been on his feet and heading back towards town. Just as he’d suspected, she’d been up to no good. When he’d found her at that damn bar, the aggravating little female was about to die at the hands of a dozen criminals. Her wide smile and carefree chatter confirmed that she’d possessed little to no awareness of her precarious situation. She’d sung happy songs, seemingly oblivious to the roomful of men who were plotting to gang-rape her. About that time, Xane’s suspicions that she harbored dark motives had completely faded away.
Sadie-Mal-Own wasn’t plotting some elaborate ruse.
Sadie-Mal-Own was a lunatic.
And beautiful.
Gods, she was beautiful. With the drugs mostly gone from his system and her Lythion robes removed, Xane had finally been able to view her clearly. It had been hard to focus on her baffling words, because he’d been so distracted by her generous breasts and incredible hair. He’d never seen anyone with hair the color of Rtaharion’s skies before. The rich brown shade was extraordinary.
And no female he’d ever beheld had a body like hers. Not even in the dirtiest holo-vids. Sadie-Mal-Own’s bountiful curves would have turned heads on the richest planets in the galaxy. He’d been entirely serious when he said powerful men would beg for her. She was achingly sweet and built to pleasure a man, with a smile brighter than the two suns.
It was a total mystery how she’d survived this long.
Sadie-Mal-Own had been bred with no thought towards self-defense. The males of her “Earth” must be the toughest sons-of-bitches in the universe. Women like Sadie-Mal-Ownwere too valuable to be unguarded. Since the females of her planet had no ability to protect themselves, the men were surely charged with the thankless task. That meant they must be ferociously powerful. There was no other explanation.
There certainly wasn’t a hint of toughness on the woman herself. Not a single hard angle or sharp claw. She was gentle.
She washelpless.
Instead of repelling him, Xane was oddly entranced by her softness. He’d never encountered anyone soft before. They didn’t tend to live long. It made no sense to be drawn to a vulnerable creature. Sadie-Mal-Own’s future would no doubt be short and bleak. He should feel nothing but pity for her. Instead, he felt… lust.
Incredible amounts of hot, possessive, desperate desire. Xane wanted Sadie-Mal-Own’s thick curls clenched around his fingers. He wanted to sleep with all four of his arms wrapped tightly around her, so no other male could steal her away. He wanted to taste her lips beneath his own. Kissing had always seemed pointless to him when he’d seen others do it. With Sadie Mal-Own, though, he suddenly wanted to try the strange custom.
He wantedeverythingfrom her.
It was a perplexing reaction, considering the woman’s troublesome nature and her almost-certain looming death. The unexpected acquisition of a spouse was affecting his mind.
He tried to convince himself that this wasnota Weakness.
Females were so rare that Xane had never really imagined having one of his own. Now that he’d somehow landed himself awoman, it was only logical that he’d desire her. It wasn’t as if he was in a position to be picky about a wife.
If he’d had more options, he would have chosen a warrior. Obviously, he would have. He wasconvincedof it. Totally sure of his own mind. He’d want a bride who was strong and big. Who could fight off attacks.
Only another woman wouldn’t have brown hair that made him think of home. And she wouldn’t look right into his eyes and grin like she wanted him to smile back. And she wouldn’t smell like warm honey and tangled bedding. Therewasno other woman like this one.
Xane’s eyes tracked his new mate as she fussed over the unconscious Vipri.
Sadie-Mal-Own would choose a different husband, once they were free of Corono. He had no delusions about keeping her. But, for now, Xane held something very rare. Something he’d never expected to have. That was why he felt this compulsion to both possess and protect her. The novelty of her was what fascinated him. Thathadto be it.
His gaze lingered on the nape of her neck. She’d pulled her thick curls up with a magically expanding purple band. It must have been the height of technology on Earth, because he wasn’t sure how the stretchy fabric circle worked. He heartily approved of the way it left a few loose tendrils dancing around her shoulders. They were hypnotizing.
“I think you killed the duckling.”
